Hermetic sealing assembly for refrigerators in machines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs, such as toasts, small pizzas or the like

ABSTRACT

A hermetic sealing assembly for refrigerators in machines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs, such as sandwiches, toasts, small pizzas or the like comprising a sliding plate which is moved in an axial and planar direction by actuation means and is adapted to act as a sealing element for a refrigeration chamber during food storage and as a removable support, during vending, for a stack of metallic containers which contain the prepackaged food to be dispensed. The lowermost container of the stack rests on the plate and can instead fall freely by gravity into a collection seat for vending when the plate is removed by axial movement. Means for temporarily supporting the containers stacked on top of the lowermost container are also provided in the assembly and are associated and synchronized with the plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hermetic sealing assembly forrefrigerators in machines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs such astoasts, small pizzas and the like.

Food vending machines, particularly for warm food such as toasts,sandwiches, small pizzas, buns or the like, are currently widely used.

In these vending machines, the food is preloaded in a deep-frozen stateand must be kept in that state.

Accordingly, said vending machines, in addition to having a cookingsection, also have one or more refrigeration chambers for storing thefood.

During normal use, the food is removed automatically from therefrigeration chambers where it is stored and is transferred for cookingand then distributed to the user.

In particular, the vending machines described herein have a rathersignificant drawback consisting in the formation of moisture in therefrigeration chamber (or chambers) due to the heat exchange that occursbetween the inside of the chamber and the environment outside saidchamber.

Moisture formation is particularly damaging, since said moisture can beabsorbed by the prepackaged products, severely affecting theirorganoleptic and culinary characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to provide a hermetic sealingassembly for refrigerators in machines for vending prepackagedfoodstuffs such as toasts, small pizzas or the like, which allows theprepackaged food to pass from the refrigeration chambers to the vendingsection and/or to the cooking section without significant heatexchanges, consequently eliminating the unwanted condensation effect.

Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is toprovide a hermetic sealing assembly suitable to also provide vendingstarting from the refrigeration assembly quickly, effectively andselectively.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealing assemblywhich is particularly tough and can optionally be manufactured also insmall sizes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealing assemblywhich does not require particular maintenance and can optionally also beapplied to food vending machines which are currently in production.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealing assemblywhich can optionally be associated with similar assemblies in order tomeet the most disparate application requirements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hermetic sealingassembly which can be manufactured with conventional technologies and atlow costs with respect to conventional sealing assemblies.

This aim, these objects and others which will become apparenthereinafter are achieved by a hermetic sealing assembly forrefrigerators in machines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs, such assandwiches, toasts, small pizzas or the like, characterized in that itcomprises a sliding plate which is moved in an axial and planardirection by actuation means and is suitable to act as a sealing elementfor a refrigeration chamber during food storage and as a removablesupport, during vending, for a stack of metallic containers whichcontain the prepackaged food to be dispensed, the lowermost container ofsaid stack resting on said plate and being instead able to fall freelyby gravity into a collection seat for vending when said plate is removedby axial movement; supporting means for temporarily supporting thecontainers stacked above the lowermost container being provided andbeing associated and synchronized with said axial movement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the hermetic sealing assemblyaccording to the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of an embodiment thereof, illustratedonly by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of a plurality of identical sealing assembliesaccording to the invention, applied to a food vending machine;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detail of one of the assemblies ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of one of the assemblies of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded view of the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views of the assembly of FIG. 4 in twooperating steps.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, a hermetic sealing assemblyfor refrigerators in machines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs, suchas toasts, small pizzas and the like, according to the invention, isgenerally designated by the reference numeral 10.

In particular, the assembly 10 is accommodated, together with two othersimilar assemblies, in a refrigeration chamber 11 of a food vendingmachine, which is not illustrated as a whole and is of a per se knowntype.

The sealing assembly 10 comprises a sliding plate 12 which is moved inan axial and planar direction by actuator means which are generallydesignated by the reference numeral 13 and are described hereinafter.

In particular, the plate 12 is suitable to act as a sealing element forthe refrigeration chamber 11 during food storage and as a removablesupport during vending for a corresponding stack 14 (three whereof areprovided in the refrigeration chamber 11) of metallic containers 15which contain the prepackaged foodstuffs 16 to be dispensed, in thiscase, to the cooking section.

The container 15 located in the lowermost position of the correspondingstack 14 rests on the sliding plate 12.

The container can instead fall freely by gravity into a collection seatfor dispensing, designated by the reference numeral 17, when the plate12 is removed by said axial actuation means.

The assembly 10 also comprises means, described in greater detailhereinafter, for temporarily supporting the containers 15 stacked on topof the lowermost one; said means are associated and synchronized withthe sliding plate 12 and are generally designated by the referencenumeral 18.

In particular, in this case the actuation means 13 are of the type withan axially arranged motorized screw.

More specifically, the actuation means 13 comprise a threaded shaft 19which is arranged in the direction of motion and is engaged with ascrew-and-nut coupling to a threaded sleeve 20 which is fixed to abracket 21 provided with pins 22 which can retract (due to the presenceof a lower compression spring 22a), are arranged above the bracket 21and are anchored in suitable slots 23 formed below the plate 12.

In this case, the plate 12 is also provided with elastic return meansconstituted by at least two helical springs 24 which are arrangedaxially; each spring 24 is fixed, at one end, in a corresponding seat 25formed axially in one of the two sides of the plate 12, while the otherend is fixed by means of a pin 26 to the lower wall of the chamber 11.

In particular, the plate 12 can slide, at its longitudinal edges, onseats, designated by the reference numeral 27, which are formed bymilling in the fixed base 33 inside the chamber 11.

The above-mentioned temporary supporting means, generally designated bythe reference numeral 18, comprise in this case, for each one of thecontainers 15, an L-shaped rod-like element 28 in which one end 29 issupported, so that it can rotate about its own axis (horizontally),within the chamber 11, while the other end, designated by the referencenumeral 30, is engaged in a cam-like fashion inside a correspondingguide 31 formed in the upper region of the sliding plate 12.

The guide 31 is shaped so as to close hook-like elements 32 which arefixed to the rod-like element 28, at right angles to the rotatinghorizontal axis, in corresponding lateral holes 33 formed in thecontainers 15.

In particular, the hook-like elements 32 close in step with thedisengagement of the plate 12 from the support.

Viceversa, the hook-like elements 32 are moved to open when the plate 12is returned to the supporting position.

In practice it has been observed that the present invention has achievedits intended aim and objects.

To be observed is the extreme simplicity wherewith the sealing assemblyaccording to the invention transfers the containers from therefrigeration chamber to the outside environment and therefore directlyto vending when cold, or to the cooking section before vending, withoutsignificant heat exchange between the outside and the inside of therefrigeration chamber.

In this manner, the problem of condensation and therefore thepossibility of damaging the prepackaged foodstuffs have been fullyeliminated.

Moreover, the entire system has been provided with extreme constructivesimplicity and therefore with particularly low costs.

Another feature is the constructive solidity of the sealing assemblyaccording to the invention, which has no particular maintenancerequirements.

Attention is also drawn to the extreme application flexibility of thesealing assembly according to the invention and to the possibility toalso apply it to vending machines which are already in production.

The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications andvariations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept;likewise, the constructive details may be replaced with othertechnically equivalent elements.

The materials and the dimensions may be any according to requirements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hermetic sealing assembly for refrigerators inmachines for vending prepackaged foodstuffs, such as sandwiches, toasts,small pizzas or the like, comprising a sliding plate which is moved inan axial and planar direction by actuation means and is suitable to actas a sealing element for a refrigeration chamber during food storage andas a removable support, during vending, for a stack of metalliccontainers which contain the prepackaged food to be dispensed, thelowermost container of said stack resting on said plate and beinginstead able to fall freely by gravity into a collection seat forvending when said plate is removed by said actuation means; supportingmeans for temporarily supporting the containers stacked on top of thelowermost container being provided and being associated and synchronizedwith said axial movement.
 2. An assembly according to claim 1, whereinsaid actuation means are of the type with an axially arranged motorizedscrew.
 3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein said actuation meanscomprise a threaded shaft which is engaged with a screw-and-nut couplingto a threaded sleeve which is fixed to a bracket and is provided withpins which are anchored in suitable slots formed in a downward region ofsaid plate.
 4. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein said actuationmeans comprise elastic return means.
 5. An assembly according to claim4, wherein said elastic return means comprise at least two helicalsprings which are arranged axially, each spring having an end which isfixed to a corresponding seat formed axially in one of the sides of saidplate, the other end being fixed to the inside wall of said chamber. 6.An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said plate can slide at itslongitudinal edges in corresponding seats of a base inside therefrigeration chamber that accommodates it.
 7. An assembly according toclaim 6, wherein said base is constituted by a plate and said seats areformed by machining.
 8. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein saidsupporting means comprise, for each side of the containers, an L-shapedrod-like element in which one end is supported, so that it can rotateabout its own axis, within said refrigeration chamber, while the otherend is engaged in a cam-like fashion within a corresponding guide formedin an upper region of said plate and suitable to close hook-likeelements within corresponding lateral holes formed in said containers,when said plate is moved for disengagement, and viceversa duringopening, said hook-like elements being fixed at a substantiallyhorizontal portion of a corresponding segment of a rod-like element andlying at right angles thereto.